


Explosion of Regrets

by orphan_account



Series: Regret Is All We Have Left [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate take, Angst and Tragedy, Gen, fricken everyone needs a hug, rapunzel's return, varian needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:15:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: With only minutes left before the airship will crash into the ground and destroy all of Corona, Varian makes the decision to save the kingdom and make up for his mistakes.
Relationships: Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: Regret Is All We Have Left [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1814680
Comments: 21
Kudos: 86





	Explosion of Regrets

"Yes, yes! Heating the Quirineon will increase the temperature enough for the balloon to rise. We just have to get it high enough so that-" Varian paused, a shadow flitting across his face. He was well aware of what happened when the chemical overheated, but there was only one way to save Corona. He cleared his throat and continued, "So that when it explodes it doesn't doesn't destroy the city." 

Rapunzel looked at Varian with a glimmer of confusion in her eyes. Varian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew what he had to do. 

"You need to get off the ship. Rapunzel, I've got to clean up my own mess."

"No!" She protested, "Varian, I can't let you do that! You'll die, and what kind of princess would I be if I let that happen? What kind of friend would I be?" Varian was stunned for a moment by the word friend. He forced himself to push down the joy that single word gave him and focus on the task at hand. 

"Rapunzel, face it. I have nothing left to lose. The people of Corona hate me, my dad is-" His voice broke, "gone, and there's no one left here to miss me. But you, you have a whole kingdom of subjects who adore you, a best friend, loving parents, and a boyfriend who would never get over it if anything happened to you. You have to get off this ship. If not for yourself, then for them. Please." 

Rapunzel sat back, shocked by Varian's words. Did he really think that way? "Varian, listen. I've already lost one person in the past few days, I'm not losing another." She paused, thinking of Cassandra. "You've done some bad things, made some mistakes, but everyone deserves another chance! And besides, this is your mess, but it's my kingdom." 

Varian chuckled darkly. He wondered what she meant when she said she'd already lost someone. He had noticed Cassie's mysterious absence earlier… 

Varian cleared his thoughts. "Princess, I've made my decision. We don't have any time left to argue. In just a couple minutes, this ship will crash, destroying Corona and all its people! If you don't get off the airship now, I'll have to make you." He sighed, trying to keep his eyes from welling up with tears. One gloved hand reached for his alchemy belt while he reached down and grabbed Pascal in the other. He placed the chameleon on Rapunzel's shoulder and stepped backwards, holding an alchemy ball at arm's length. 

"Varian please!" She said, "Think about what you're doing!" He ignored her, looking to Pascal instead. 

"Take care of her." He said gently, and tossed the bomb at them. The glass shattered with a pop, and the princess was surrounded in a blue bubble. Varian sighed, looking into her pleading eyes. "I'm sorry it had to end like this." He murmured. Varian placed his hands on the bubble and pushed it with enough force to send it floating away, down to the rooftops. He watched as it popped on the pointed weathervane of someone's home, and the blonde girl ran to the edge of the roof. 

"Varian!" She called. He forced himself to ignore her and finish the job. 

Varian grabbed a length of rope and slid down the deck of the flying ship. He caught himself and wrapped the rope around a few of the barrels holding the Quirineon. He struggled to climb back up to the burner and hoist the barrels up. The year he spent in prison had done nothing to help his upper-body strength. Finally, he managed to get the barrels high enough, and he set them beneath the burners. The selfish part of him hoped the tiniest bit that the plan wouldn't work, but he knew it would. It had too. He wouldn't let himself be the cause of any more destruction. 

The Quirineon began to bubble, the green liquid swelling and popping vigorously. Varian felt the heat on his face and tried to recall the last time he felt this warm. The moment that came to mind was one of the last times before he would turn his back on Rapunzel. He thought of when he jumped into that boat and Rapunzel hugged him tighter than anyone, aside from his mother, had ever held him. At the time, it almost made him reconsider his entire plan. He reminded himself that what he was doing now was for her, to right his wrongs. If his life was the price he had to pay to achieve that, then so be it. 

He was torn from his thoughts by the ship crashing into a particularly high building. He nearly screamed as he jolted backwards and nearly fell out of the ship. His fingers snagged the railing just in time, and he pulled himself back up with great effort. He reached the chemicals again just in time for them to burst into green flame. As much as Varian wanted to abandon ship right then, he knew he couldn't. Not only would the fall probably kill him anyway, he had to ensure that the balloon made it as high as it possibly could before it exploded. 

Varian checked the burner one more time to keep it position and stop the flames from burning through the balloon and sending the airship crashing to the ground. He hissed in pain as the fire burned away one of his gloves and licked his hand. Varian grabbed hold of the netting around the balloon and climbed to the top, taking care to use his injured hand as little as possible. 

As Varian stepped on top the balloon, he caught a view of Corona he'd never even dreamed of. He could see everything, from the palace all the way to Old Corona. He felt the wind ruffle his hair and pull at his heavy coat. Right, the Saporian attire. He shrugged out of the clothing in disgust, realizing for the first time how utterly ridiculous it was. He let the over sized jacket and bandanna fall off the balloon and watched as it disappeared into the dark sky. He felt as though not only the coat's weight had disappeared, but also the weight of deceit and uncertainty he didn't know he'd been carrying. Turning back to the light had left him feeling lighter in a sense. 

Staring down the kingdom brought along a flood of memories. Memories of his childhood years with his mother's laughter, his father's affection, prison carts and lollipops and everything in between. Memories of his older years filled with unintentional accidents and explosions, bullies and loneliness, his father's disappointed gaze, and a growing passion for alchemy. Then came the memories of the last two years. His eyes filled with tears as he recalled the day he met Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene and finally found some friends. He remembered his hopeless crush on Cassie, the disaster at the expo and reassurances from his friends, the tragic events and broken promises of the blizzard, and the anger, resentment, and revenge that had followed. He remembered the days he'd spent under constant surveillance by the Royal Guard, seeing them sit and watch while he suffered and grew more and more desperate. He felt a twinge of anger as he thought about how they'd done nothing while he worked and starved and succumbed to his rage, but he told himself it was time to forgive. It was time to forgive Rapunzel and the kingdom for the things he'd blamed them for. The things that weren't really their fault. 

So as Varian of Old Corona stood atop the Saporian airship, he made the final decision to let go of all his anger and resentment. He prayed to the sun that he'd made it high enough to save Corona. He hoped that Rapunzel and everyone else would be okay. And he hoped that they could forgive him. And then his vision was filled with green, his ears were filled with sounds of explosions, and his body was filled with pain. 

And the sky was filled with green fire. 

***

"Varian!" Rapunzel shouted to the sky as she raced to the edge of the rooftop. That wasn't how things were supposed to go! She should have stopped him! Tears blurred her vision as she watched the balloon ascend. Varian didn't have anything to protect him when the airship exploded, not like her with her magic hair. Unless he had some secret up his sleeve, she knew she would never see him again. 

She would never see another one of his inventions, never see that bright eyed enthusiasm he'd had when they first met. She'd never see his goofy smile and oversized gloves or the goggles he never took off. She'd never hear Eugene playfully refer to the boy as "Hairstripe" or laugh when one of his experiments went wrong. She wished she could have made things right with the alchemist sooner. She wished they could have had more time to talk, to heal and forgive. To learn to trust. She had so many regrets, and she knew he did too.

Rapunzel told herself it wasn't her fault, and yet she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt roiling in her gut. She didn't notice she had fallen to her knees until Pascal brought her back to reality by nuzzling her neck. She took the chameleon in her hands, noticing the sadness on his tiny face. She kissed her little friend on the forehead, but she didn't dare utter any reassurances. She knew there wasn't any coming back from this. 

As Rapunzel got to her feet, she heard a strange flapping noise. She looked up and saw Varian's coat falling through the air. Her hopes soared for the briefest of moments before she realized he wasn't in the coat. Rapunzel reached out and caught the article of clothing, surprised by its weight. Seconds later, the alchemist's red bandanna followed. She looked to the sky and caught a glimpse of a figure standing on top of the balloon as green flames began to spread across the ship. She held the coat and bandanna close to her, as if by holding them she could hold Varian too. Moments later the Saporian ship lit up the sky in an explosion of green. 

Rapunzel sobbed into the fabric clutched in her fists, the only things she had left of her friend. She didn't know how long she sat there, eyes red and shoulders shaking. Eventually, Pascal prodded her gently with one of his small claws. Rapunzel jumped. She had almost forgotten Pascal was there too. She understood what he wanted. Eugene was probably worried out of his mind by now and she didn't want to make him wait any longer. She placed Pascal on her shoulder and wrapped her hair around the very weathervane that popped her bubble. With more effort than it normally took, she lowered herself to the ground. Carefully, she folded the coat and the bandanna and placed them under her arm. Wiping away her remaining tears, she set off to find Eugene, Lance, and hopefully, her parents. 

***

Eugene and Lance left the king and queen with their carriage and ran to the edge of the water. They could see the airship engulfed in flames over Corona. They were both silently praying that Rapunzel would be alright. 

"That's it Blondie, now come on!" Eugene muttered, watching the ship. Suddenly, with a boom that everyone in Corona must have heard, the ship combusted. 

"Rapunzel! No." Lance cried, falling to his knees. Eugene waved his hand in dismissal, smiling. 

"Just wait Lance. Just wait. She'll be okay." Eugene watched for the circular flash of gold that would indicate Rapunzel's hair had worked its magic. After a few moments, his grin faltered. He squinted at the sky like it might be deceiving him. "That's odd…" He said.

"Why is nothing happening?" Lance demanded frantically.

"No no no!" Eugene sputtered, "No! This isn't supposed to happen! Her- her hair, it was supposed to keep her safe!" Eugene shook his head back and forth hard like he refused to believe it. He grabbed Lance by the shirtsleeve and dragged him up. The taller man seemed to be in shock. Eugene grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Come on man! If there's even a chance she's okay, I have to know. I'm not giving up on her yet!" Even as he spoke, Eugene was fighting back tears. Lance nodded and followed as Eugene took off at a sprint.

The two former thieves had plenty of experience running and they made it to the spot where the airship took off in record time. Skidding to a halt, Eugene glanced around desperately. Rapunzel had to be okay. He didn't know what he'd do without her. She was the light of his life and the whole reason he'd accomplished as much as he had. He utterly refused to believe she was gone. It was that stubborn belief that fueled him as he ran through the streets calling her name. He was just swearing to himself that when he found Hairstripe, he'd wring the kid's scrawny little neck, when he heard a voice call to him. 

"Eugene?" He swore it was her voice. 

"Rapunzel?" He answered. "Rapunzel!" And then he saw her. She emerged from around a corner, hair tangled and dragging, but looking more beautiful than. Eugene had ever seen her. "Oh, Sunshine! You're okay! I was scared out of my mind! How did you get off the airship safely? I didn't see you." 

He rushed to hug her, but was forced to stop when he got a good look at her. Rapunzel's eyes were red-rimmed like she'd been crying and she was carrying something under her arm. Sitting on her shoulder, Pascal's face had the same grim expression. Eugene was afraid to ask what could possibly leave them both looking so despondent. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Rapunzel and rested his cheek on her head.

Finally, Eugene found his voice again. "Sunshine, are you okay? You look like you've been crying." Rapunzel shook her head slowly in reply. Anger bubbled up inside Eugene. "Did Varian do something to you?" He demanded. "Because if he did, I swear, I'll throw that little jerk right back in his cell to rot!" Rapunzel stiffened and let out a choked sob at the mention of Varian. Eugene was thoroughly pissed off. He'd decided to trust Goggles again, only to be betrayed. To think he wanted to reconcile with the kid… 

"You can't." Rapunzel's voice came out just above a whisper. "He's gone." Another year rolled down her face. Eugene didn't understand what she meant. 

"You mean he escaped? Did he leave you and run off with the Saporians?"

"No, Eugene I wasn't on the airship." Eugene stepped back, trying to figure out what she was saying. "Varian was." 

Eugene's eyes widened in horror. "You don't mean-" 

"He said he had to fix his mess, and he trapped me in a bubble and sent me down to safety. He was the one who got the balloon to a safe height. He-" She took a shuddering breath, "he didn't make it out." 

Eugene stared at Rapunzel in disbelief. She had to be wrong, the kid couldn't be dead. Not Varian. He couldn't imagine that the boy who had been so eager to help both his friends and village, who had worked tirelessly to earn his father's praise, whose passion and enthusiasm could rival Rapunzel's, who had been through so much, could be dead. It just wasn't possible. Despite everything Varian had done, a part of Eugene had always cared about him. Hearing what the kid had done revealed that that part of him was larger than he'd like to admit. Varian's loss weighed on him like an invisible boulder. Eugene didn't want to believe it was true. 

Lance had heard stories about Varian before he became the villain. The boy from Eugene and Rapunzel's tales and the boy he saw in Old Corona were hard to compare. And neither of them matched with the Varian who they'd met in the castle. Yet hearing Rapunzel talk about what happened pulled the pieces together for Lance. Suddenly he could see the boy clearly and everything that had happened made sense. The twisted path that the boy had traveled revealed itself to Lance. For the first time, Lance felt as if he actually had known Varian. So he mourned the loss of the boy who'd sacrificed himself to fix his mistakes. 

Together, the three of them shed tears for Varian. 

***

Cassandra strode through the forest. After days of walking, she almost wished she had a balloon like the one she saw Rapunzel and the others leave in. Beside her, the little ghost girl chuckled. 

"What's so funny?" Cassandra asked, annoyed. 

"Oh that foolish alchemist! He could've been useful." The girl giggled again. 

"Alchemist? Do you mean Varian?" A spark of worry ignited in Cassandra's chest, but she snuffed it out quickly. 

"Ah, yes. Varian." 

"What happened? Is he trying to take over Corona again?" Cass smirked at the thought. Good luck defeating him without her. 

"Oh no, I'm afraid his circumstances are far more dire." The ghost girl stopped to give Cass a wide, creepy grin. "It would seem the little fool has gone and sacrificed himself." 

Cass's heart stopped. "Sacrificed himself! You mean he's-" She didn't want to finish the sentence. 

"Yes. He is dead. Sacrificed himself to save Rapunzel. How pitiful indeed. He could have been of great use to us." Cass clenched her fists. It was always Rapunzel. "Would you like to see?" The girl asked. Before Cass could answer, the little ghost girl placed her finger in front of Cass's forehead and an explosion of images filled her head. 

Varian showing up and fighting her former friends, Varian standing up to- ugh- Andrew, his heart to heart with Rapunzel, and their daring entrance into the Saporian airship. Cass saw them fight the Saporians and argue about who would stay behind, watching as Varian sent Rapunzel away in a bubble and took care of the ship himself. She watches him burn himself on the hot flames, then ascend the balloon and she's his Saporian clothes. And then, in a horrible flash a green, she saw the sky explode. 

And Varian was gone. 

Cass staggered backwards in shock. "No." 

"Why do you care so much?" The ghost girl asked. "He betrayed you and tried to kill you. He didn't mean much to you. You willingly lead an assault against him." 

"I did what I had to do! And he did mean something to me. He was a good kid who went through his own little hell and did some bad stuff. But he was sorry in the end…" Cass trailed off at a whisper. A single tear rolled down her cheek in remembrance of the boy who'd been so eager to please, who had followed her around with big eyes and a bigger crush on her. 

"Don't you get soft." The ghost girl warned, "We still have a job to do." Cass nodded. She didn't have time to mourn. She had a princess to take down.

**Author's Note:**

> Thus concludes my first work on Archive of Our Own! If you guys want, I can make a follow-up where Rapunzel releases Quirin from the amber and has to tell him what happened to his son. Post in the comments if you'd like me to write it.


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